Saeed reminisces about an Ansonia wall clock, recalling an old-world charm – exclusively for Different Truths.

The steady, rhythmic tick-tock of our Ansonia wall clock is soothing and reassuring. The simple elegance of this vintage timepiece is highly pleasing to the eye, with intricately carved woodwork encasing the clock and a shiny brass ring framing the clock’s face. The gold-edged insignia on the small glass pane through which one sees the swing of the pendulum is half-faded, but the clock’s mellifluous chimes, as they mark the hour, ring loud and clear.  

The Ansonia Clock Company was a clock manufacturing enterprise founded in Ansonia, Connecticut, in 1851, by three partners – a metal dealer and two clockmakers. After some initial success, the company expanded its activities and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1878. From then on until its closure in 2006, the company saw rapid success by opening new factories and sales offices in New York, Chicago, and London. In the 155 years of operation, the Ansonia firm manufactured a staggering variety of mantle clocks, wall clocks, desk clocks and a large array of decorative clock models and styles made of porcelain, wood and cast iron for which the Ansonia firm became famous all over the world.

With the arrival of quartz timepieces, the popularity of spring-driven mechanical clocks has declined, and today these are cherished more for their decorative and antique value.

Mechanical clocks depend on the energy stored in a wound spring. This is why they must be wound regularly to keep accurate time. The periodic ritual of manually re-winding a mechanical clock can be a chore. Still, it is a reminder, nonetheless, that that the clock’s longevity and its unfailing timekeeping cannot be taken for granted.

Similar to the vintage clock, for life to carry on smoothly, our bodies, too, need care, maintenance, and timely re-charging. Like a well-oiled machine, a wholesome diet, healthy habits, and regular exercise can go a long way in keeping ourselves alive and ticking for a long time.

Photo by the author

Saeed Ibrahim

Bangalore-based writer, Saeed Ibrahim, is the author of two books – “Twin Tales from Kutcch,” a family saga set in Colonial India, and “The Missing Tile and Other Stories.” Saeed was educated at St. Mary’s High School and St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai and, later, at the University of the Sorbonne in Paris. His other writings include newspaper articles, travel essays, several book reviews and two essays for the Museum of Material Memory.